Earthquakes in New Hampshire

Earthquakes in New Hampshire have occurred in the past and certainly will happen in the future. What remains to be seen is when they will occur and how severe they will be.

Because of news reports in recent years, the earthquakes in California are regarded as seismological hot spots. New Hampshire is actually at equal risk, many residents are simply unaware because it has not been as widely publicized.

Earthquakes have been documented as far back as 1638; that particular one was felt as far as Canada and along the Massachusetts coast. It is believed that the epicenter was in New Hampshire and in today's measurements would be between a 6.5 and 7.0 on the Richter scale. Between 1728 and 1989 there were 270 earthquakes of significance in New Hampshire. The strongest was a series of two in Ossipee on December 20 and 24, 1940, with a magnitude of 5.5.

Although many have felt earthquakes, none have been responsible for heavy human causalities. The worst damage was to buildings with chimneys collapsing and much china and glass being broken. There were also reports of cracked foundations. The intellectual shock and fear was immeasurable although undoubtedly present during the earth shifting. Many have thought there was a train crash with the noise alone.

New England geology consists of considerable bedrock. This makes an earthquake more widely felt and less localized when it happens. New Hampshire has felt earthquakes centered in Quebec and east of Cape Ann, Massachusetts. This is not to say there have not been plenty of measured earthquakes that residents are blissfully unaware of. The most recent quake was located in Laconia in September of 2009; it was recorded at a magnitude of 1.7.

A major earthquake in New Hampshire could easily have devastating results. Unlike savvy California, there are no requirements regarding earthquakes in the building code. Buildings at risk the most are those which are built on sand or clay and have no reinforcements in the concrete. Many of our older and beautiful colonials made of wood would probably collapse like matchsticks during a major earthquake.

It is true there is no time indicator for the next big quake in NH. It would be wise for residents take precautions never the less. Earthquake insurance is available on many homeowners' policy for an additional fee. This fee would be a small price to pay if your house was ruined and uninhabitable.

Perhaps you have seen footage of people under desks and in doorways during an earthquake. It would be a good idea to take stock of the safer refuge locations on your property in the event of a major quake. Have a family discussion of a central place to meet if you are not all at home.

A major earthquake could occur tomorrow or in twenty years, it is impossible to predict. While the severity and time is out of our control, planning for it is not.